


Granting Wishes

by Skye_Maxwell



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Brotherly Love, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Confessions, Dorks in Love, Family Feels, First Dates, Fluff, Friendship, Holiday Fic Exchange, Humor, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Smooching, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Maxwell/pseuds/Skye_Maxwell
Summary: On Christmas Eve night, Souji goes to the shrine, only to find that the fox has one last wish for him to fulfill by midnight.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 32
Kudos: 235
Collections: Souyo Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2019





	Granting Wishes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tasogarenohane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasogarenohane/gifts).



> This was written for the 2019 Souyo Secret Santa Exchange, and I was very happy to receive Taso as my recipient, since I absolutely adore her lovely Souyo art! This is based on the prompt: "Yu discovers Yosuke’s ema at the shrine." In Japan (or so I've read), Christmas Eve is considered more of a romantic holiday, which plays a big part in this story. This takes place in December after Yosuke's and the fox's social links have been completed.

“Teddie, this isn’t gonna work,” Yosuke protested weakly even as he wrote on the ema plaque. 

“Don’t dirty up the sacred holy shrine with your un-bear-lief!” Teddie cried, watching intently as Yosuke scrawled out his wish. “Yoooosukeeee, that’s not specific enough! Put his name on it!” 

“Shut it!” Yosuke frantically whispered, looking around to see if any of the shrine’s other visitors had noticed. “I am _not_ putting his name on it. This is a small town where everyone knows who Souji Seta is, okay? And he comes here too, so there’s no way in hell I’m risking it. If the gods can grant wishes, I’m sure they can figure out who I’m talking about.” 

“Gasp! Don’t mention h-e-double golf clubs in the sacred holy shrine!” 

“You seriously believe in this stuff, huh?” Yosuke sighed, though judging by the number of people who were also there that afternoon making wishes, offering up prayers, and throwing donations in the offertory box, Teddie wasn’t the only one. 

Throughout the year, Yosuke had heard the occasional rumor about wishes made at the shrine getting granted. Lately though, it seemed like everyone in Inaba knew and believed in the shrine’s power. 

“Of course I do! I always hear the old ladies at Junes talking about their wishes they got granted! Just today, one of them said her grandson called her for the first time in years, out of nowhere! And another one said her husband did his own laundry, and he _never_ does his own laundry!” 

“Okay, but those could just be coincidences.” 

“But what about Nanako-chan…” Teddie said with sudden gravity. “That one night, it was snowing… after the hospital, all the girls and Kanji came here to make wishes for her.” 

“They did?” Yosuke asked, surprised he hadn’t heard about that from the rest of the group. He had stayed behind to comfort Souji, and Teddie had gone off on his own at that point. But that _could_ explain Nanako’s miraculous recovery… 

Teddie asked smugly, “You’re starting to bear-lieve, aren’t you?” 

“No!” Yosuke said, but as he finished writing his wish and then stared at the words that he so badly wanted to come true, he thought to himself, _Maybe._

Teddie seemed satisfied at seeing Yosuke’s wish written out, so he set to work on writing his own wish, hiding it so Yosuke couldn’t see. 

Yosuke rolled his eyes at the secrecy; it’s not like Teddie would be able to keep it to himself for long. 

On the other hand, Yosuke trusted Teddie with the important things (they really were like brothers now), which is probably why Yosuke had finally been able to tell Teddie about his secret feelings for Souji the night before. 

It had been after a particularly frustrating shift, and Yosuke had felt like he was absolutely going to _burst_ if he didn’t let out every single feeling he’d been holding in. Yosuke wasn’t sure how their late-night talk had gone from him complaining about rude customers to crying about how infatuated he was with Souji, but it had, and Teddie had been a surprisingly good listener. He’d even offered to put his bear suit on so Yosuke would have a softer shoulder to cry on. 

Yosuke had spilled everything to Teddie: the feelings that had been gradually building up since Souji arrived in the spring, how terrified he was of those feelings, how he didn’t want to make a move that he couldn’t take back but also how he didn’t want to lose what could be his only chance with Souji while he was still here in Inaba… 

Teddie, of course, would not stand for Yosuke not acting on his feelings at all, so coming to the shrine directly after work today was Yosuke’s way of appeasing him. 

In a way, it was a relief having someone else know about his feelings. In another way, it was unsettling. He really didn’t think Teddie would tell, but it somehow still felt like a precarious situation, to have his secrets living somewhere else besides a confidential file in his brain. It was like a part of this abstract _thing_ that could make or break his whole world was _out there_ now, out of his control. And now, writing this wish to be hung up in a public place was like relinquishing yet another part. But maybe, just _maybe,_ if those parts came together out there and brought Souji to him, it wasn’t so bad. 

“I’m done!” Teddie declared, proudly holding up his ema plaque for Yosuke to read. 

“That’s bear-ly legible,” Yosuke said, squinting as he tried to make out Teddie’s handwriting. 

“I’m still learning! Don’t be a meanie bear!” 

_“I wish…”_ Yosuke read aloud, his heart thumping painfully as his eyes skipped ahead: _“…for Yosuke’s wish to come true.”_

“Do you like it?” 

“Ted…” Yosuke said softly. “Why would you waste your wish on me?” 

“It’s not a waste! It’s like at Junes when we double-bag the groceries! For safety. You don’t mind, do you?” Teddie asked, starting to look a little sad. 

“Nah, I don’t mind at all,” Yosuke said, swinging an arm around Teddie’s shoulders. “Let’s go hang these wishes up.”

“Hooray! I like making wishes with Yosuke!” 

Yosuke smiled and shook his head. “Back at you, Ted.” 

“Hey, Yosuke?”

“Yeah, Bud?” Yosuke asked as they both hung up their plaques. 

“I think we’re being watched.”

“Huh? By who?” 

Teddie pointed to the roof of the shrine, and there was the fox, eyeballing them from her perch. 

“Oh hey, it’s that fox that follows us into the TV World sometimes,” Yosuke said. “I think she lives here. But why is she staring at us with that scary look on her face?” 

“I think she’s looking at _you,_ Yosuke! Ooh, maybe she’s friends with the gods and will help make your wish come true!” 

“Ha, I doubt that.”

“Don’t dirty up the sacred holy shrine with your un-bear-lief!” 

“You already said that, Ted.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll bear-lieve for you, until you can bear-lieve for yourself!” 

“Thanks, I guess,” Yosuke shrugged, feeling uneasy under the fox’s unmoving gaze. “Let’s go home now.” 

“Okey dokey! Bye bye, Foxy!” Teddie called, wildly waving goodbye to the fox, who didn’t have much of a reaction. “Can we have Topsicles for dinner?” 

“Maybe for dessert,” Yosuke said, walking Teddie away from the shrine but still feeling that steady gaze on their backs. 

“Hooray! Topsicles for dessert!”

“I said _maybe!”_

* * *

\- CHRISTMAS EVE -

Souji stared at the ema plaque that the fox had just very insistently pushed into his hand.

Throughout the year, Souji had granted a string of requests given to him by the fox, and just as the fox had hoped, rumors of the shrine’s benevolence spread with each granted wish. More people came to make offerings, eventually earning the shrine enough funds for a series of renovations. 

Since then, the fox had seemed content with the improved condition of her home, and she had been more at ease during Souji’s periodic visits, not giving him any new wishes to fulfill. That was a good thing, seeing how busy life had gotten for Souji the last couple months, and he figured most wishes were better left to the gods anyways. 

However, the fox seemed to think this particular wish was an exception. 

_“I wish to go on a Christmas Eve date with someone I like.”_

The simple wish probably wouldn’t have made Souji’s heart pound so hard if it wasn’t in Yosuke’s handwriting. 

It also didn’t help that it was already Christmas Eve night, with mere hours left before midnight. 

Souji had spent his entire school day dodging potential admirers (Yukiko and Chie tried to help, which he appreciated, but he could have gone without being shoved into the utility closet multiple times), and after school he had hurried straight home to avoid any ambushes. He spent the evening with the Dojimas, watching movies and making a beautiful (if Souji said so himself) Christmas cake. By the time he finished meticulously decorating it, Nanako was passed out, so Dojima put her to bed and then went to bed himself. That was when Souji decided to head out, needing some fresh air and figuring that at this time of night he should be safe from any girls approaching him.

And while he didn’t really know why, the shrine, in particular, seemed to be calling to him.

“You couldn’t have shown this to me sooner?” Souji asked, looking down to read the fox’s face.

When he first met the fox, Souji had wondered if she could understand his thoughts. By now though, it was a two-way street, and they could definitely both read each other’s thoughts. 

_I’m sorry it’s short notice, but you really should be visiting me here more often, so it’s actually not my fault at all._

“All right, all right, sorry,” Souji conceded, his mind switching gears as it searched for a solution. “Yosuke wants to go on a Christmas Eve date with someone he likes. But what does he mean by ‘someone’? A specific someone? Or just anyone he likes in general?” 

Souji cycled through all his female friends who he might be able to get a last-minute favor from. Naoto had a thing for Kanji, Ebi had a thing for Kou, and Rise still seemed to have a thing for him, so he couldn’t ask any of them, on principle. Yukiko was busy working at the inn and had recruited Chie to help out for the night. Ayane would probably drop whatever she was doing to help Souji out, but… 

“Hm?” Souji hummed, looking down at the fox, who interrupted his thoughts by placing a paw on top of his foot. “Hold on, I’m thinking of who I can ask to go on a date with Yosuke.” 

The fox persisted though, nudging Souji’s shin with his nose. 

“What? Do you have an idea?” 

The fox nodded. 

“What is it?” 

The fox stiffly pointed its snout up at Souji. 

“Me? But I’m a… he doesn’t like… well, he _does_ like me because I’m his best friend…” 

The fox wagged its tail. 

“…and he literally told me he likes me, but…” 

The fox stood on its hind legs and flailed its front legs in the air. 

“You… really think I’m an option?” 

The fox yipped excitedly. 

Souji loved Yosuke, of course, but he’d never even dared to dream that Yosuke would seriously want him back. 

“I don’t want him to be disappointed… but if you say so… ” 

_I do! I do say so!_

“I do get to be an option,” Souji whispered in awe as the overwhelming love he’d kept buried so well flooded into his heart like daylight pouring into a dark room. 

Souji chuckled at himself as his eyes got misty, but then the fox ran a circle around him and plopped down at his feet. 

_Now that we’re on the same page, get out of here, kid! You have to hurry! Go, go, go!_

“Right! I’ve gotta go! I’ll let you know how it goes! Thank you!” Souji cried, bowing quickly to the fox and then breaking into a run. 

The fox jumped onto her rooftop perch, watching Souji run until he was out of sight. 

She had always been a little nervous handing wishes off to him, just because she cared so much about the shrine and the people of Inaba, but despite her anxiety, she had a good feeling about this one.

It was for him, after all. She owed him every happiness she could grant him (or that she could coax him to grant himself), and he really loved that Yosuke boy. 

And the Yosuke boy loved him too (as the guardian of a shrine where people were always making wishes about romance, she knew a little something about love), so everything had to turn out all right. 

It just had to. 

* * *

“Son, I have to ask…” Mr Hanamura said, “Why are you wearing your coat?” 

Yosuke had been wearing his favorite white coat with the fur-lined hood all night, even through dinner and the whole time they had been watching movies together as a family. 

“I’m cold?” Yosuke replied unconvincingly from his place against him mom’s side. 

“But you’ve always run hot, ever since you were little.”

“Your father’s right, Sweetie,” Mrs. Hanamura added. “You’re giving off heat like a furnace. Not that Mommy minds, because she loves when her baby boy is close to her! But you might want to take the coat off.” 

Not only was Yosuke warm, but he had been almost vibrating with a nervous energy all night. Though in the past hour or so, the energy had started to die down, and he had deflated against her like a balloon that had slowly leaked out half of its air.

“He’s wearing it because he bear-lieves!” Teddie exclaimed, though he didn’t look at them since he was pretty fixated on the movie they were watching and the snacks he was eating. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hanamura exchanged a look, trying to gauge if their sons’ odd behavior was something to be concerned over, or if it was just another day in their crazy household. 

“Bear-lieves what, exactly?” Mr. Hanamura prodded. 

Before Teddie could answer for him again, Yosuke said, “I’m wearing my coat just in case I decide to go out later.” 

“Go out where?” Mr. Hanamura asked. 

“Um, just… out? It’s supposed to snow later. Maybe I could… build a snowman?” 

“A snowman?” Mrs. Hanamura laughed at her son’s lame excuse. “Well, you know it will take about two seconds to put your coat back on if you do decide to go out later, right?”

“I just… I just wanna be ready… just in case…” Yosuke quietly trailed off.

“All right,” Mrs. Hanamura said gently, kissing the top of his head, which he actually didn’t fight for once. 

She exchanged another look with her husband, and they seemed to agree that the best course of action was to just leave him be for now; Yosuke would tell them what was going on with him when he was ready. 

That was when there was a loud, rapid set of knocks on the front door. Teddie was the first to leap off the couch, giggling the whole way as he sprinted to answer the door. 

Yosuke instantly perked up, sitting up straight and looking after Teddie with wide eyes but not moving to join him. 

They all flinched as Teddie slammed the door open (he’d gotten a lot better at not destroying their home, but he still forgot to be careful sometimes), and then they all waited for a long moment, not quite able to hear the conversation Teddie was having with whoever had been banging on their door. 

“YOOOOSUKEEEE!” Teddie screamed unnecessarily loudly. “IT’S FOR YOU!” 

“It’s for me?” Yosuke whispered to himself, but he still didn’t move off the couch. He called to Teddie, “Who is it, Ted?” 

“IT’S SENSEI, YOU DUMMY BEAR! GET OVER HERE!” 

“Sensei…” Yosuke said senselessly. “It’s Partner…” 

Then he seemed to wake up, and he leapt off the couch to join Teddie at the door, all that nervous energy from before returning in an instant. 

“Sensei, eh?” Mr. Hanamura said, knowing Teddie’s nickname for Souji.

“Partner, eh?” Mrs. Hanamura said, knowing Yosuke’s nickname for Souji. 

They raised their eyebrows at each other, feigning surprise, and then they both broke into quiet laughter. 

“Looks like Yosuke’s snowman finally showed up,” Mr. Hanamura chuckled. 

“G-good thing… pfft… Good thing he already had his coat on!” Mrs. Hanamura chuckled, barely able to choke out the words through her laughter.

They loved their son very much; he had so much heart, and he was so incredibly entertaining. 

* * *

“Oh, Sensei! You’re finally here!” Teddie exclaimed, having thrown open the Hanamura’s front door seconds after Souji knocked on it.

“Finally?” Souji asked, but then he shook his head, needing to focus on his objective. “Is Yosuke home, Teddie?”

“Of course he is! He’s been waiting for you!” Teddie turned to scream toward the living room, “YOOOOSUKEEEE! IT’S FOR YOU!” 

“Who is it, Ted?” Yosuke’s voice called from the living room, making Souji’s heart race even faster. 

“IT’S SENSEI, YOU DUMMY BEAR! GET OVER HERE!” 

“Teddie, you said Yosuke’s been waiting for me?” 

“Partner!” Yosuke interrupted, quickly emerging from the living room and stepping around Teddie. 

His expression at seeing Souji at his door was a beautiful mixture of happy and hopeful and a little nervous, and if Souji had any doubt about his feelings for Yosuke before, they all evaporated in that moment. 

“Uh, what are you doing here?” Yosuke asked when Souji didn’t say anything, an unusually shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“What are you asking that for, Yosuke?!” Teddie asked indignantly, peeking around Yosuke and clinging to his arm with both hands. “You know why he’s here! Your wi—!” 

“Teddie!” Yosuke hissed, elbowing Teddie just hard enough in the gut to shut him up. 

Abruptly holding out his hand, Souji swallowed thickly and asked, “Would you like to go on a Christmas Eve date with me?” 

Teddie squeaked and gripped Yosuke more tightly, while Yosuke’s eyes, wide and full of light, fell to Souji’s outstretched hand. 

“Yosuke,” Teddie whispered into Yosuke’s ear. “Why aren’t you taking Sensei’s hand?!”

“Because you’re holding my arm,” Yosuke whispered back, still staring at Souji’s hand in awe. 

“Whoopsie!” Teddie cried. “Sorry!” 

Once Teddie released him, Yosuke didn’t hesitate to take Souji’s hand. 

Looking up into Souji’s eyes, Yosuke said, “Yeah, I wanna go on a Christmas Eve date with you.” 

If light had flooded into Souji’s heart before, his heart was _becoming_ light now, sending an intense heat and joy through his veins that radiated out from every inch of him. 

Yosuke started to walk straight into that captivating light, but Teddie stopped him. 

“Wait, Yosuke! Shoes!” Teddie squealed, grabbing Yosuke’s shoes off the floor and then plopping them down in front of Yosuke. 

“Right. Thanks,” Yosuke said, a little spaced out as he quickly slipped his shoes on. 

Now that he was completely ready to go, he walked straight into Souji, dropping his hand to throw both arms around Souji’s neck. 

Teddie was swooning in the background, which only made Yosuke smile harder as he squeezed Souji more tightly than he’d ever imagined Souji would let him. 

“Let’s go, Partner.” 

“Um, where should we go?” Souji asked, still holding onto Yosuke and not quite wanting to move yet. “I didn’t really think this far ahead.” 

“Oh yeah, I guess nothing is open this late,” Yosuke said idly, not seeming to want to let go either.

That gave Souji an idea. 

“There _is_ one place that’s still open…” 

* * *

“Ha, and here I was bear-lieving in the magic of the shrine,” Yosuke said as he sat on the steps scratching the fox between the ears. “But it was Partner all along, granting all those wishes.” 

The fox firmly batted a disgruntled paw at Yosuke’s lap. 

“Hey! What was that for?!” 

“She doesn’t appreciate you talking down her shrine,” Souji interpreted, amused by their interaction. He was standing nearby, hands tucked into his coat pockets as he fondly observed the two of them. “But I think a fox who can read wishes and convince a guy to grant them is still pretty magical.” 

The walk to the shrine had been a little awkward at first as the high of their moment at the Hanamura’s door had died down, but they had eventually settled back into their usual back-and-forth, with Souji explaining the entirety of his relationship with the fox and the shrine’s newfound popularity. 

“You have a point there, Partner. Still, I can’t believe I didn’t know this was going on the whole time. You could have told us, you know. We would have helped you grant the wishes, so there wouldn’t have been so much pressure on you.”

“I don’t always ask for help when I should,” Souji admitted, looking away. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve kept to myself… All these people—and animals—I’ve befriended, it’s almost like they’ve each had their own story arc this year. It’s been rewarding, but also exhausting to keep up with.” 

“I wanna hear about it.”

“Hear about what?” 

“All the people, the animals, everyone… their ‘story arcs,’ everything… I wanna hear about all of it.” 

Souji scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly. 

“I don’t know, it’s a lot to tell. It would probably take over a hundred hours to tell you everything that’s happened.” 

“Okay,” Yosuke said, looking up at Souji expectantly.

Beside him, the fox seemed to be mirroring Yosuke’s expression, staring up at Souji. 

“Okay,” Souji agreed, smiling brightly. “I’d like that.” 

“Okay,” Yosuke repeated, blushing and redirecting his attention to the fox. “Y’know, you kind of remind me of Kanji…”

Not wanting the conversation to get away from him again, Souji interrupted, “Hey, Yosuke?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m someone you like, right?” 

“Hm? Why are you asking that? Isn’t it, y’know, _obvious_ by now?” 

“I just wanted to make sure I fulfilled your wish correctly.” 

“Souji…” Yosuke said, finding the courage to look his Partner in the eyes. “You’re _the_ someone I like.”

Both Souji and the fox looked exuberant.

“Okay, good,” Souji said happily, but as the air between them started to grow awkward again, he knew that wasn’t enough. “Heh, I’m doing it again…”

“Doing what?” 

“Keeping things to myself,” he said, taking a seat beside Yosuke. 

“What is it, Partner?” Yosuke asked, automatically scooting closer to Souji.

“I get it now. The fox wanted me to fulfill your wish to pay me back for granting all those wishes. Isn’t that right?” 

The fox yipped in affirmation. 

“To pay you back?” Yosuke asked. 

“After I saw your wish, I realized how much I wanted it too, to spend time with you tonight, to go on a date with you, and all the implications behind that. Somehow, the fox knew that would make me happy, so she had me go to you. And when I saw you at the door, it was clearer to me than ever. I want… I love…” Souji stumbled, his voice growing quieter with each word. “I…” 

“You too,” Yosuke said impatiently, abruptly leaning into Souji and kissing his lips. 

The fox howled in approval, startling them so badly they jumped apart. 

Then they both burst into howling laughter, creating a trio of strange howling noises echoing into the night. 

As soon as he could speak again, Yosuke scooped the fox into his arms and squeezed, saying, “Thank you, Foxy. This is the best Christmas Eve date ever!” 

“Yes, thank you,” Souji echoed, patting the fox on the head. “You did a good job, with saving the shrine, and with granting our wish. Consider me paid back.” 

If foxes could cry, Souji was sure she would have done it right then. Instead, she just made happy noises and nuzzled Souji’s hand. 

“I’m glad we’re friends now, Foxy,” Yosuke said, petting her back and sides. “I’d say I’d come to you from now on whenever I had a wish, but it looks like I can just go to this guy directly.” 

With a serious expression, Souji promised, “I’ll grant any of your wishes that I can.” 

The fox, however, batted lightly at Yosuke’s nose. 

“Haha, I was just kidding! Don’t worry, Foxy, I’ll definitely be coming to visit you here all the time.” 

The fox looked even more exuberant than before, wiggling contently in Yosuke’s arms. 

Souji insisted, “But if you do have any wishes…”

“I _could_ go for some Christmas cake right about now,” Yosuke said jokingly, but Souji lit up like he had just received the perfect Christmas gift. 

“I _have_ Christmas cake.” 

“Wait, really? You do?”

“At home. I made one earlier.” 

“Oh man, you really _are_ a magical wish-granter! Let’s take this date on the road, then!” 

Reminded once again that this was indeed a date and that he _loved_ that it was a date and that he _loved Yosuke,_ Souji reached up to hold the side of Yosuke’s face in place. 

He requested, “Before we go, do you think you could grant me a wish?” 

Yosuke caught on quickly, simply whispering back, “Yeah.” 

He then pressed a second kiss to Souji’s mouth, sighing contently through his nose as he did so. 

The fox stilled in Yosuke’s lap, not wanting to interrupt another kiss but celebrating internally all the same. 

Yosuke prolonged the contact, adjusting his lips against Souji’s and slowly, deliberately kissing him one, two, three more times before pulling himself away. 

“Let’s go to your house,” he said against Souji’s mouth. 

“Right, to eat the Christmas cake,” Souji said with a disoriented nod. 

“Yeah, that too.” 

After profusely thanking the fox again for bringing them together, the boys took off for Souji’s house. 

For the second time that night, the fox jumped onto her rooftop perch to watch Souji go until she couldn’t see him anymore, except this time he was walking hand in hand with the boy he loved, amidst the beginnings of a light Christmas snowfall. 

_Merry Christmas, sweet boys,_ the fox thought warmly. 

She then looked down as snow fell upon her beloved, glittering shrine, and with a complete absence of anxiety in her heart, she finally felt like she could rest easy; everything was right with the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you like this, Taso! :'D
> 
> And thanks to treya_barton for reading an early draft of this and giving such nice and helpful feedback! You can thank her for me writing that scene with the Hanamuras back in. XD
> 
> Merry Christmas!


End file.
